I'd Rather Aid The Enemy!
by sugarbowl99
Summary: Kagome, tired of being compared to Kikyo, prepares to leave Inuyasha. But when the Band of Seven kidnap her, will she want to go back to him, or will she choose to stay with the Band of Seven's leader, Bankotsu?
1. Chapter 1

My first fanfic, folks! Enjoy it, or an army of sticky notes will come and eat your brain! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!

Disclaimer:I do not, sadly, own Inuyasha. If I did, a lot of the villains wouldn't have died. Except Kikyo.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Angry was not, it seemed, a word stored in Kagome's emotional vocabulary. Mad certainly was, but not angry.

Or so everyone else thought.

But, while walking through an old, bloody battlefield that had once, more than likely, been a pretty, grassy meadow, with Inuyasha complaining incessantly, it was obvious to Kirara, and only Kirara, that the explosion was inevitiable.

"Hey, Kagome," Inuyasha whined. "Do you have anything to eat in your bag?"

"No," Kagome growled through clenched teeth.

"You know, sometimes, you're useless!" Inuyasha snapped. "Kikyo's much better! She'd never let us go without food! She'd have everything we needed, all the time."

Kirara, knowing that this was it, ducked behind Sango's foot.

"_**SIT BOY!!!!!!!!"**_

~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was impossible not to hear it, the yell. Doing so would mean that you were either deaf or retarded.

And Bankotsu of the Band Of Seven was neither.

And he did not like being interrupted while he was pondering.

"A woman," Jakotsu spat, with a scowl.

Renkotsu rolled his eyes. "A woman yelled. So what? It's not the end of the world, Jakotsu." He smirked. "You sound just like one, anyway."

"Let's go see if that woman needs some _company_," Suikotsu suggested. "How about it, Big Brother?"

"There's nothing else to do," Bankotsu said with a shrug. "Why not?"

"What about me?" Jakotsu whimpered.

"Oh, I'm sure she was probably yelling at her husband, Jak," Bankotsu said. "You can have him."

"Okay then," Jakotsu instantly brightened up.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"_Damn_ you, Inuyasha!" Kagome screamed. "Damn you to hell- and your precious Kikyo, too! Since she's so much better than me, why don't I go off on my own and find the jewel shards? Why don't you just send me back home and have Kikyo find the damn things for you, huh?

"Why should I stay around when I know, for a fact, that as soon as we find all the pieces of the jewel, you're just gonna wish Kikyo back and push me away?" Kagome continued, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I've stood by your side all this time, and all you ever do is compare me to that dead clay pot! And push me away, again, and again! I've sat here and endured it all this time, but no more! No more! I'd rather aid the enemy than stay here with you for another moment. I'm leaving, Inuyasha! Or, should I say, Inutrasha! Go get Kikyo, let her find the shards for you! And if I get killed, please know it's your fault!"

It was at that moment (the worst moment in history to appear) that the Band of Seven burst into the bloodstained field.

"Oh, look!" Bankotsu cried. "A damsel in distress!"

The young, short boy sauntered across the space between the two groups with unhuman speed, and before anyone could stop him, had scooped Kagome up, bridal style. "Aren't you pretty? I never really noticed you, before!"

"Oh, my sweet Inuyasha!" Jakotsu cried happily. He ran to the half demon and wrapped his arms around him.

"Get off me, freak!" Inuyasha ordered, shoving Jakotsu away roughly. "And get back here with Kagome, zombie!"

Bankotsu looked over his shoulder smugly at Inuyasha. "You'll have to find us, first."

"Kagome!" Inuyasha howled when he realized that she wasn't struggling. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

"Well, Inuyasha, it was nice seeing you, but we've gotta go," Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu ran away from Inuyasha and leaped onto Ginkotsu's tank/body.

Ginkotsu fired a cannon, and in a cloud of smoke, they were gone.

Only Bankotsu's last words floated in the wind.

"You'll find us at our castle."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Big Brother," Renkotsu asked after they were some distance from Inuyasha and company. "Do you think it was wise to tell Inuyasha of our castle?"

"He won't be able to find us," Bankotsu assured him as Suikotsu forced a sleeping potion into Kagome. "I didn't tell him where the castle was. He'll never find us."

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tell me what you think, kiddies! Review! Flames welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm so…*sniff* proud of myself. I thought I'd never update this story, but….*bursts into tears* I actually did it! I think it was the reviews… thank you all…. I love you!

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Kagome began to regret what she'd said. Maybe blowing up the way she had at Inuyasha had been uncalled for. She reluctantly swallowed the contents of the vial Suikotsu had shoved past her lips and was immediately attacked by a bout of dizziness.

"What was that?" she demanded sleepily of Suikotsu.

"Sleeping potion," he replied simply.

"Wuzz that really… uh, really called for…?" Kagome slurred. The stupid potion was taking effect awfully fast, she noticed.

"Yes," Suikotsu told her with a smile. "We can't really have you changing your mind all of a sudden, now can we?"

"Suikotsu's right," a new voice said by Kagome's ear. She was concentrating to hard on keeping her eyes open to look to see who it was, but she knew. "What if you decide you'd rather see your friends again? We can't have that. Not only are you good bait, your ability to sense the Shikon jewel shards is useful."

"Just go too sleep," Suikotsu said, not unkindly. "Things will look a lot better when you wake up."

Kagome was too tired to argue. Her eyes fluttered closed, she let her head fall against her chest, and she fell forward. Suikotsu caught her easily.

"Ugly wretch," Jakotsu sniffed snootily, covering his nose with his sleeve.

"Like you've got room to talk," Renkotsu said.

"Shut up!"

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Like Suikotsu had said, Kagome found she did feel very good when she awoke.

That made her quite irritable.

"I see you've woken up, wench," someone spat from a corner of the unfamiliar room Kagome was in. Kagome sat up and turned her head so quickly, she heard the bones click.

"It's you!" she said. "Uh… Jakotsu, is it?"

Jakotsu turned his head away from her. "Don't talk. Your voice grinds on my nerves."

Kagome felt anger bubble up in her chest. First Inuyasha, then this cross-dressing homo? Did everyone think she was some toy they could abuse however they liked?

"Listen, you," she spat, "I've had enough of you pompous men talking about me like I'm some useless, weak little girl! I want some respect, you hear me? Why do you hate women so much, anyway? People can hardly tell you're not female!"

Jakotsu glared at her. Kagome stared right back just as fiercly.

They fell into a tense, awkward silence.

"Big Brother Bankotsu told me to watch you," Jakotsu muttered abruptly.

Kagome said nothing.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

The wind whipped Koga's high ponytail up behind him, and a smirk graced his features.

He could smell Kagome's scent.

Something confused him about it, though. It was spread across a wide area. He could smell Inuyasha's scent, too- but Kagome's scent was beside him and it seemed she'd moved away from him.

What troubled him most, though was that her scent mingled with the Band of Seven's.

Koga burst from the forest and practically stepped on the demon slayer that traveled with Inuyasha.

"Oh!" she cried. "Koga!"

Koga had braced himself for Inuyasha to immediately throw himself at him, but the impact never came. He relaxed. "Hey," he said. "Where's Kagome?"

The demon slayer- Sango, Koga remembered her name was- seemed reluctant to answer. "Well- you see, that's… Kagome's…"

"Kagome's gone," the fox demon, the little cub that always hung Kagome, whispered.

"Gone where?" Koga asked, oblivious to their (actually quite obvious) depression. "Back to her village?"

"No," Kagome's monk friend sighed. "Gone. With… the Band of Seven."

"…with…"

Kirara, sensing another explosion, dived for cover behind Sango.

"**WITH THE BAND OF SEVEN!!!!!!?????**" Koga roared.

Shippo- _that_ was the fox demon's name- burst into tears. Sango looked away, and the monk stared at the forest that edged the once-pretty-field-now-old-battlefield they were in.

"Inuyasha is to blame," he said.

"**You stupid mutt!!!!"** Koga bellowed.** "Get out here and fight like a man! I bet you gave Kagome to those zombies!! Or did you let them kidnap her?! Either way, **_**you're dead!!!"**_

Inuyasha leapt from his (quite invisible) perch in the tree. "You tryin' to pick a fight with me, wolf?" He asked calmly. "I'm not in the mood."

"You mangy mutt," Koga growled. "You can't just brush me off like that!"

He prepared to attack the half demon but was halted by Miroku- ah, _that_ was his name- calling out.

"Instead of fighting, wouldn't it be more productive to search for the Band of Seven's castle?" he asked.

Koga was about to reply that no, it wouldn't, or at least not until he pounded Inuyasha's head into a puddle of blood, but Sango interrupted him with, "Miroku's right. Who knows what they could be doing to Kagome?"

Inuyasha and Koga perked right up at that. "You're right! My sweet Kagome could be in danger! See you later, muttface, I'm going to-"

"Wait, Koga, don't you ever listen? I'm not done."

Koga stopped and tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, get on with it! I've got a girl to save!"

"I was thinking…" Sango explained, "that we should join forces to look for Kagome. Not only would it help us fight the Band of Seven, but it would be easier to find Kagome with more demons to sniff her and the Band of Seven out."

"She's got a point…" Koga said slowly.

"There's no way in Hell I'm traveling with that wolf," Inuyasha said angrily.

"Do you want to find Kagome or not, Inuyasha?" Miroku snapped.

"…"

"I'm perfectly okay with it!" Koga announced. "Along as I find my Kagome, it's alright with me!"

"Then it's settled," Sango said. "We'll travel together to find Kagome!"

"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled. "I didn't say-"

"It's over, Inuyasha. Koga _will_ travel with us, whether you like it or not."

Inuyasha grumbled, but said no more about the subject.

"We should get going," Miroku said. "The sooner we start, the faster we'll find Kagome."

"Alright," Koga said.

And so they went.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Inuyasha and co. had only been traveling for a short while when Koga asked why and/or how had Kagome been ended up with the Band of Seven in the first place.

"She went willingly, actually," Miroku said. Inuyasha was silent.

"_**What?**_" Koga cried unbelievingly. "Why?"

"Inuyasha," Miroku glared at said half-demon, "said that Kikyou was better than her. Kagome started to scream at him, and, just as she finished, the Band of Seven appeared. Bankotsu called her pretty, scooped her up, and they were gone. Kagome didn't struggle in the slightest."

"She said," Sango said, "that she'd rather help them than stick with Inuyasha. I guess… she wasn't joking."

Nothing more was said.


	3. Chapter 3

Yay~! So much inspiration! I feel so… so… enthralled! Yes!

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Kouga was rather irritated. After no more than two hours, Kagome's, along with the Band of Seven's, scent suddenly had suddenly vanished. The group had wandered blindly around the forest for a while, before realizing that it would get them nowhere, and deciding to give up for the day. They had set up camp in a small clearing.

Now, Kouga sat, unable to sleep, against a tree. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable; he'd slept in much more uncomfortable places before. It was worry.

Kouga stared into the slowly dieing fire and imagined he could see Kagome's smiling face in it.

_Oh, Kagome,_ he thought. _Are you okay?_

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Kagome stared at the food that had been brought to her. She was rather reluctant to eat it. After the sleeping potion before, she felt she couldn't trust the Band of Seven's food- not that she could trust them at all in the first place.

"I'm telling you," Suikotsu insisted. "It's not poisoned, or anything like that."

Kagome said nothing. She was attempting to convince herself that she was not hungry.

Her growling stomach argued otherwise.

"Just eat. Please? Bankotsu won't be too happy if I let you starve to death."

"I don't give a damn whether Bankotsu's happy or not," Kagome snapped.

"At least you're talking," Suikotsu said. "But I'm not sure if that's a good thing."

"Just let her starve," Jakotsu said rather dramatically from the other side of the room. "It'll be punishment for being so ingrateful."

"That's a bit extreme."

"Not by my standards."

"Your standards aren't standards _anyone_ would go by."

Kagome listened to them bicker, and smiled. It quickly faded, however, when she thought of Inuyasha and Shippo.

"Just shut up, Jakotsu," Suikotsu ordered, turning back to Kagome. "Now please, eat, Miss Kagome. I promise you on my own grave that there's nothing in this food."

Kagome couldn't fight her hunger any longer. She hesitantly picked up her chopsticks and took a bite of food.

Suikotsu smiled. "There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?"

The food wasn't. Kagome found it to be quite tasty, and soon began to devour it all. She hadn't realized that she'd been so hungry.

As she finished, Kagome let out an impressively yet small burp, followed by a polite, "Excuse me."

"She's got manners," Jakotsu sneered.

"I feel sleepy," Kagome announced accusingly. "There was something in that food wasn't there?"

"Actually, that's natural," Suikotsu said. "It's common for one to feel sleepy after downing a large meal, especially one as large as you just finished."

Knowing this was true, Kagome turned away and mumbled profanities.

"Now go to sleep," Suikotsu said. "You'll feel better in the morning."

He'd said the same thing the night before, and been correct. Kagome grumbled even louder, but crawled into the bedding that she'd woken up in before.

"Goodnight!" Suikotsu said cheerfully. "And, oh, Jakotsu- you can go. I'll watch her."

"Thank God!" Jakotsu cried, and was gone.

Suikotsu sat in the spot Jakotsu had occupied before, and Kagome felt his eyes on her as she drifted into a deep, dreamless.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Kagome awoke feeling energized and ready for whatever life threw at her.

That made her quite upset. And not in the sad way, either.

"Good morning, Miss Kagome," Sikotsu said- just as cheerfully as he'd said goodnight the night before. Kagome's mood darkened.

Before anything else could be said, however, Suikotsu stood and left the room. Kagome stared after him long after he had left.

_What am I supposed to do?_ She wondered. _He just left me here. Do I just sit here? Am I allowed…_

Kagome grinned.

…_to roam the castle?_

Standing up and quickly stretching, Kagome ran over to the door Suikotsu had exited through and opened it a little. After checking to make sure that no-one was coming, she slid it opened it wide and stepped out into a dark hallway…

… and was immediately confused by it's difference from the room she'd been in.

Kagome's room had actually been quite bright in colour; a shiny gold and green. The hallway (and, Kagome suspected, the rest of the castle) was a dull dark brown.

How boring.

Kagome had been excited at the thought of freedom from her room, but that excitement vanished. Why get worked up over something so… bland?

But it wouldn't do to just stand in the hallway. Kagome decided that wandering a bland castle was better than wandering no castle at all.

But wasn't that a lose-lose situation?

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"I can't smell her scent anywhere!" Kouga cried in annoyance.

"Me, neither!" Inuyasha added. "This is hopeless!"

"We can't give up now!" Shippo scolded. "We can't give up at all! If we do, we'll never find…" Shippo stopped and began to sniffle. "… never find… nev… _Kagome! Waaaah!!_"

The poor little fox demon disintegrated into a bundle of fur and a bag of tear, and, scooping him up, Sango said, "Shippo's right. Do you know realize how much danger Kagome's in just by being with the Band of seven? We have to find her at all costs!"

"Why bother?" Inuyasha snorted. "She _wanted_ to help them. Remember? _'Oh, Inuyasha, you're so mean! I'd rather aid the enemy!' _ Damn wench might be better off with them."

A very, very angry silence fell over the group. Kouga felt his fur begin to stand on end. Kirara hid behind Miroku.

"Alright then, Inuyasha," Sango said calmly. "Since you obviously don't care about Kagome anymore, we'll look for her ourselves. You can go find Kikyou and look for your precious damn jewel shards on your own."

"You're going to go look for the Band of Seven?" Inuyasha scoffed. "You're just a couple of humans and two weak demons. You don't stand a chance!"

"We've got Kouga, and Kirara is strong enough," Sango said, "and even Shippo is a bigger help than you are. And you forget, Inuyasha- you're half a human." She turned on her heel and started walking. "Let's go, guys."

Kirara needed no more urging; she followed after her mistress as everyone knew she indefinitely would. Miroku hesitated, as did Kouga, but after one glance at the sour look on Inuyasha's face, the trotted after the demon slayer.

Shippo glared fiercely at Inuyasha, and then bounder after the others.

(Quite obviously), Inuyasha was left to his own devices.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

While rather boring in design, the Band of Seven's was doing well in the size department.

Either that, or Kagome had been wandering around in circles.

As the jewel-sensing priestess-in-training had suspected, the entire castle was one big, boring mass of brown. Every now and then, Kagome had stumbled upon a few empty rooms that were as brightly coloured as her room had been, but otherwise there had hardly a change in scenery.

At the moment, Kagome stood in a large, golden small acloves had been carved out in the wall, and candles had been placed inside.

The bright colouring and the massive amount of candles did not make the room any brighter.

"Hey, you."

Without turning around, Kagome knew who it was. " I have a name, you know."

"Fine, then. Kagome, is it?" Bankotsu smirked at her. Even though she hadn't turned around, Kagome knew. She could feel his smirk on her back.

"Can I help you?" she asked rather sarcastically.

"Actually, you can," Bankotsu said. " I wanted to know if you'd give me your jewel shards."

Kagome whirled around. "No!" she yelled before she could stop herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I thought you'd say that," Bankotsu said. The smirk never dropped from his face, and he began to walk (menacingly, Kagome thought) towards her. Kagome was too frightened to move.

Bankotsu grabbed the sides of her face in his hand. Up close, his smirk (or maniacal grin, whatever you want to call it) was even scarier. "But know that before this is all over, I will have those jewel shards."

And then he released her and left the room. Kagome just stood there, knees knocking against each other.

Not long after Bankotsu's departure, Jakotsu ran in, looking very annoyed. Catching sight of Kagome, he cried, "There you are! Suikotsu's been looking all over for you!"

Kagome said nothing, and Jakotsu noticed the look on her unnaturally pale skin. "Hey… are you alright?"

Kagome still didn't have an answer, because she fainted.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

That's over! Sheesh!

You know, for some reason (I think I know why), I always think of Envy from Fullmetal Alchemist when I see Jakotsu.

Hmm.

And, er, when I say castle, you guys do know I mean like a Japanese castle, not Disney princesses castles? Think Naraku's castle.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello, everyone. I'm alive. While I'm at it, read my "new" story, Heartbreaker. Surely, it's better. I wrote it with help from my good friend HR.

I don't own Inuyasha.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

4 days passed, and with each growing day, Kagome grew more restless and upset. She didn't want to stay here; she regretted her harsh words toward Inuyasha and wished she could take them back. They'd both been in a lousy mood that day. Perhaps she shouldn't have blown up at him so easily. Perhaps she should have just stayed quiet. A simple 'sit' would have done.

Kagome was tugged from her thoughts by Suikotsu's patient voice. "Please, Miss Kagome," he pleaded. "Just eat. For me? Why won't you eat anymore?"

Kagome turned her head away from the bowl he offered her. _I'd rather starve than stay in this castle, away from my friends and family._

Suikotsu knew Kagome was unhappy. He was rather concerned. It might've come from being a doctor, or perhaps he'd become found of the girl. But she'd become reclusive and refused to talk much, and hardly ate anymore. Suikotsu knew it probably came from being away from her friends.

The sliding door opened, revealing Jakostu, who looked quite bored. "Brother Bankotsu wants to see the wench," He drawled.

"My _name_ is _Kagome_," Kagome snapped.

"Whatever," Jakotsu said with a roll of his eyes. He turned on his heel and was gone.

Suikotsu stood. "Come," he ordered gently. "It's best not to make Big Brother wait too long. He can be very irritable if made to wait too long."

"Like I care. Let him get mad," Kagome muttered. She did, however, stand and follow Suikotsu.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"Hello, _Kagome_," Bankotsu greeted casually. "I haven't seen you in days. Have you been avoiding me?"

"So what if I have?" Kagome muttered under her breath.

Bankotsu heard her, however, and laughed aloud. "I like you. You're spunky. But maybe I should get to the point."

"Maybe you should," Kagme urged sarcastically. "Then, maybe, I could go back to my room and have to stop looking at _you_."

Bankotsu laughed again. Suikotsu, who stood to the side, warned Kagome with his eyes. _Don't _try_ to provoke him!_ He thought._ He might be laughing, but inside he's probably contemplating the best way to kill you!_

"I wanted to ask you… Kagome…" Bankotsu said slowly, "if you'd thought about my question."

For a moment, Kagome had no clue as to what he was talking about. Then it dawned on her. A few days before…

"_Can I help you?" she asked rather sarcastically._

"_Actually, you can," Bankotsu said. "I wanted to know if you'd give me your jewel shards."_

"The answer is still no," Kagome said, "and no is what it's going to stay. I'm sorry, but I can't give you my jewel shards- I can't, and won't." She glared at him steadily.

Bankotsu had remained cool and calm- almost joking- every time Kagome had seen him. She'd thought that was actually his default mood, or whatever. But she'd forgotten he was a mercenary, a cold-blooded killer, and that they can't afford to joke around all the time. Bankotsu's face contorted into a look of anger, and he stood (he'd been sitting down- lounging, really) and stalked over to Kagome.

"Now listen, you," he said, wrapping his fingers loosely about her throat. "I haven't the time or the patience to deal with your nonsense. Where are those damned Jewel Shards?!"

Kagome, terrified, reached into her shirt and wrapped her hands protectively around the jar she kept the shards in. "You can't have them!" she squeaked.

Suikotsu stepped away from the wall. "Big Brother-"

Bankotsu ignored him. "Give them to me!"

Kagome wriggled in his grasp, feel his hands slowly tightening around her neck. She indignantly squealed another "No!" and used her free hand to claw at his hand.

What happened next was a bit unexpected. That's an understatement, really. It was also a bit indescribable.

The wall exploded.

Well, the whole wall didn't really explode. It was more like an object launched itself with great force through a part of it, causing debris and smoke to fly everywhere. This object was tall, strong, and tailed, and it cried, "_KAGOME!!!_" as it burst through the wall.

It was Kouga.

Bankostu's hold on Kagome loosened completely, and Kagome dropped to the ground and crawled away.

"Kouga!" she shrieked, arms outstretched, reaching for him. She'd never been happier to see him in her life. Usually, she sort of dreaded to see him coming, but now it was different. When someone was saving your life, you did not, under any circumstances, be disappointed to see them.

Through the hole Kouga had left in the wall burst Kirara, Sango and Miroku riding on her back. "_Hiraikotsu!" _the demon slayer cried, throwing the giant boomerang at Suikotsu, who nimbly leapt out of the way.

Jakotsu's voice rang out over the confusion. "What the hell is going on in here? Hey, where's my Inuyasha?"

The Hiraikotsu flew back to Sango,a nd she caught it, then swiftly sent it hurtling at the cross-dressing mercenary. "Sorry to disappoint you, but he's not here!" she yelled.

Kagome lurched to her feet and ran towards Kouga, who reached for her as well. _If I can just reach him, I'll be safe!_ She thought.

Apparently, 'safety first' had been cast aside, because an arm wound itself around her waist and she was yanked backwards. Something shiny and sharp brushed her throat. Kagome knew who it was, and grabbed at her jewel shards.

"Nobody move!" Bankostu bellowed, moving the dagger he held a hair closer to Kagome's throat. "I'll kill her and take the shards!"

_He'd do it, too,_ Kagome thought.

"Let Kagome go!" Kouga commanded.

"Not until I get her jewel shards," Bankotsu growled.

Kagome whimpered. Apparently she had no say in the matter, because the knife moved a fraction of a half of a centimeter closer to her throat. Kagome realized that if she even twitched, she'd be at risk of having a slit throat. She held her breath and prayed for a miracle.

God must have heard her and granted that miracle, because seconds later, a strong, loud voice screamed, "**WIND SCAR!!!**"

The jagged arrows of energy surged towards Kagome and Bankotsu. Bankotsu was so startled he released his hold on Kagome. Taking the chance, Kagome threw herself forward as hard as she could, thankfully landing in Kouga's arms. She glanced backwards to see Bankotsu dashing out of harms way, and then she was whisked away, into the air, out of the hole Kouga had made.

"Let's get out of here!" Kouga screamed over his shoulder. There was a whoosh, and Kirara was flying beside them, and then Inuyasha appeared.

The Band of Seven's castle vanished behind them.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

This isn't the end, folks! You know the Band of Seven won't give up THAT easy! Will they capture Kagome back, or will Kagome find a way to evade their grasp???!!! I don't even know!!!!!!

Review.


	5. Chapter 5

Sorry for, like, not updating. And stuff. Here, will this make up for it?

I DON'T OWN INUYASHA.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

It felt good to be back, real good. But that good feeling was overshadowed by a darker feeling of ominous foreboding. Kagome shivered as she sat down in a small clearing with the Inu-tachi, plus Kouga.

"You alright, Kagome?" Kouga asked, noticing her shudders. Kagome smiled at him; it was sweet that he was worried about her- and opened her mouth to answer, but as always, Inuyasha had something to say.

"Kagome doesn't need you to worry about her," he snapped. Kagome scowled.

"Kagome doesn't need _you _to decide what she needs," Kouga retorted. Kagome smiled.

"She doesn't need a mangy wolf breathing over her shoulder and asking if she's okay every five seconds!"

Kagome scowled again.

"She doesn't need a possessive flea-bag tryin' to control her life!"

"What she doesn't need is you, you ugly piece of-"

"Maybe you should stop being such a control freak, you dirty son of a-"

Miroku, Sango, and Shippo watched them go back and forth, and watched Kagome's facial expressions go back and forth, and they sighed and shook their heads. Kouga and Inuyasha were both hopeless.

Kagome turned to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha?"

"WHAT."

"Sit." He went down like a rock, and Kouga cringed, torn between laughing and being afraid of Kagome. "Kouga?"

"Er- yes, my sweet flower?"

"Don't call me that. And don't kill Inuyasha. Can you tell if there's a hot spring nearby? I really need a bath."

"Uh, yeah, I think. That way, I think; I can smell it, it's not that far." Kouga pointed.

"Great." Kagome stood with a sigh, dusted off her skirt, and, stepping over the comatose Inuyasha, headed in the direction that Kouga had pointed in.

"Wait, Kagome," Sango called, going after her. "I'll come with you, in case the Band of Seven shows up."

Miroku stood as well. "I should come, too," he announced, clearing his throat. "It would be a tragedy if our dear Kagome were kidnapped again, along with Sango. Er."

Everyone glared at him. Miroku decided it would be best if he sat down.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

The hot spring was refreshing and, thankfully, quiet. Sango seemed to realize that Kagome had a want for peace, and she said not a word while they soaked in comfortable silence.

The silence was broken- only once. The bushes rustled, and something- someone?- hissed quietly.

Eyes narrowing, Sango reached for her Hiraikotsu. She gasped when she realized it was gone.

"It was just right here!" she hissed to Kagome. Kagome shrugged, looking suspiciously at the spot where the bushes had moved.

"Maybe we should go back..." Kagome suggested.

"It's probably just a small demon," Sango assured her. "And I probably just left my Hiraikotsu back at camp, and didn't realize it."

"Sango, I'm sensing some Sacred Jewel Shards," Kagome murmurred, still watching the bushes.

"What?"

It was at that moment that the inhabitants of the bushes decided that their cover had been blown, and, in order to distract Sango, expertly threw the Hiraikotsu at her from their leafy hiding place. While Sango was preoccupied with catching her weapon, someone roughly snatched Kagome out of the warm waters of the hotspring and threw her to the ground. Curling up to cover herself, Kagome glared up at-

Jakotsu, who sneered down at her.

"Get some clothes on, wench," he ordered, and Kagome groped around for her clothes and tugged them on.

"HIRAIKOTSU!" Sango roared, throwing her weapon at Jakotsu while trying to cover her body. Jakotsu barely had to duck, and focused his attention on Sango, who tripped over herself as she pulled on her clothes and tried to catch the Hiraikotsu at the same time.

"Oh, ew," Jakotsu gagged. "Women parts."

Sango turned red (with both anger and embarrassment) and dove for her weapon.

As this was happening, Inuyasha and the others burst through the trees, weapons drawn. Jakotsu sighed.

"Oh, Inuyasha," he breathed. "While I am happy to see you, I'm afraid I didn't come for you!"

"Where are the rest of your stinkin' zombie friends?" Inuyasha demanded.

"Yeah, I can smell 'em all over the place!" Kouga added. Jakotsu just smiled.

"I guess," on of the bushes surrounding the hot spring sighed, "our cover has been blown."

"Like it wasn't before?" another bush retorted.

Bankotsu stood up from his hiding place, resting Banryuu on his shoulder. "No, it wasn't." He smirked cockily at Inuyasha. "Jakotsu, grab the girl and let's go. We don't have much time to waste here."

Groaning, Jakotsu picked Kagome up and tossed her over his shoulder. "Ugh."

"Renkotsu, if you would?"

Renkotsu leapt from his hiding place and landed on the other side of the hot spring, took a dramatic swig from his gourd, and spat fire at the Inu-tachi. They scattered, Kouga howling about his tail, which had caught a spark and was burning, while the Band of Seven made their escape, accented by Ginkotsu shaking the earth as he rumbled along.

The flames cleared, as Kouga leapt into the hot spring to extinguish his flaming tail, and, as expected, the Band of Seven was gone.

"Damnit!" Kouga spat, water dripping from his hair. "They got my Kagome again!"

"_Your _Kagome?" Inuyasha repeated. "When the hell did she become yours? And where could they have taken her?"

"They'd be fools to return to their castle; we'd find them in no time," Miroku said thoughtfully, examining a scorch mark on the hem of his robes. "And they couldn't have gone far. Which way did they go?"

Unfortunately, in the frenzy and chaos that the fire had created, no-one had managed to see which way the Band of Seven had gone in. Sango sighed, strapping the Hiraikotsu to her back.

"We'd best just choose a direction and go that way. We know they're somewhere. We just have to find them." She picked up Kirara. "Which way?"

"That way," Kouga said.

"This way," Inuyasha said.

They glared at each other, and before anybody knew it, an argument had burst into existence. Miroku shook his head.

"We are getting nowhere," he grumbled.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

"I _hate_ all five of you," Kagome spat, glaring up at Ginkotsu, whose body (lap?) she sat on. He made an unintelligible noise at her, rumbling happily along.

Triumphantly, Bankotsu reached down and snatched the jar of Jewel Shards off of its chain around her neck. "It doesn't matter to us. We don't care whether you hate us or not." He smirked at her, admiring the Jewel Shards in the jar. "But you'll be helping us find the other Jewel Shards, right?"

"Hell. To. The. Naw," Kagome snarled. Bankotsu yanked her hair. "Ow! Ow! Ow, okay! Okay! I'll find the Jewel Shards!"

"Then we have an agreement." Bankotsu nodded. "If you ever find a Jewel Shard with anyone other than me, it _better_ come to me." Here, he glanced at Renkotsu. "Okay?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?" Bankotsu pulled her hair again.

"Y-yes, sir?"

"Wrong. Jakotsu?" Jakotsu happily reached over and began to pull at her hair as well with his left hand.

"Yes! Yes, Bankotsu?" she cried, reaching back to touch her stinging scalp.

"Close." Bankostu pulled harder, as did Jakotsu, who appeared to having more fun than he should've, adding his right hand to the fun.

"Yes, Lord Bankotsu!"

"There we go!" Bankotsu cried, releasing her. Jakotsu did the same, reluctantly.

"Gesh, where are we going, Big Brother?" Ginkostu asked, coming to a slow stop and looking down at the smaller man.

"Yes; we've just been riding around aimlessly," Suikotsu added. He looked around. "It appears that the sun will set soon."

"We keep going till we get tired or we come across a demon." Bankotsu shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we'll find a village to plunder." He noticed Kagome glaring at him. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kagome kept silent, wishing that Inuyasha, Kouga, or anyone would get her away from them.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Well. Are you all happy now?

Review.


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so... I haven't been dead or anything. I was just... floating around in the abyss. School just sort of ruins any chance of FunTime.

But, anyway, here's chapter six. I DON'T OWN INUYASHA.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Kouga shot a glance at his companions- Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo. He sighed; they all looked tired, even Kirara, and he'd be lying if he said that he, too, was not exhausted as well.

It was late. Perhaps a short break was in order...? After all, the Band of Seven wouldn't kill Kagome, would they? Her ability to sense the jewel shards was too valuable to them. She'd be okay...

Kouga shook his head. They couldn't stop! Her being with the Band of Seven meant she was in danger. He could just imagine those horrible _zombies _abusing his poor Kagome mercilessly, her pained expression... crying for help... calling _his _name...

"Kouga."

Kouga looked up at Sango. She sighed.

"I think it's time for a short rest," she said. "We've been searching nonstop."

"I agree." Miroku stopped and sat down against a rock. "If we work ourselves to the point of exhaustion, what good will we be to Kagome when we find her?"

The others mumbled in agreement and stopped, and Kouga reluctantly slumped against a tree. He stared up at the night sky, not listening to the others as they began to devise a plan, talking softly together. He felt so useless, sitting here, almost dozing, while Kagome could be anywhere. He closed his eyes and began to slip into a restless slumber.

"Kouga? Did you hear me-" Sango cut herself off, realizing that he was asleep. "Oh."

"He's been pushing himself so hard," Miroku tsked, shaking his head. "He really does care for Kagome."

Inuyasha scoffed and leaned back against the tree, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "Stupid delusional wolf..."

Of course Inuyasha would never admit it, or at least say it aloud, but he, too, was worried about Kagome. A heavy ache formed in the pit of his stomach each time he even thought of the danger she could be in. A shaky sigh escaped his lips.

_Damn those zombie bastards. I'll kill every single one of them for touching Kagome._

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Most of the village was burning to the ground, engulfed in flames that seemed to dance along to Bankotsu's loud and almost manic laughter. Kagome curled up on the ground and covered her eyes at the sight of a small child that was missing their head; she plugged her ears to avoid hearing the terrified screams of the villagers.

The only building not burning was the biggest house in the village. That was where the Band of Seven planned to stay for the night. The next morning, Kagome knew they'd burn it to the ground just like the rest of the buildings and leave with a giddy feeling in their stomachs. She wanted to throw up.

Rough hands dragged her to her feet, but Kagome did not move. She instead coughed, gagging at the taste of smoke that filled her lungs, and kept her eyes covered. She did not want to see the destruction. The same hands pried her fingers from her eyes and shoved her in a random direction, but Kagome simply squeezed her eyes shut and stood stock still.

Exasperated, Bankotsu picked her up and started towards the headman's home, which was the biggest house in the village. The remaining members of the Band of Seven followed him dutifully, laughing and joking loudly.

Kagome gagged again.

"Don't you throw up on me!" Bankotsu barked. Kagome swallowed back the bile that was rising up her throat. "Damn. You can't tell me you've never seen a dead body before, or a burning village."

"I've never burnt a village down for fun, or murdered everyone living inside for no reason!" Kagome snapped hoarsely. "You're despicable!"

Bankotsu laughed at her, sliding the door to the house open wide. Kagome opened her eyes warily.

The village headman and his family stared back fearfully, gulping at the sight of Bankotsu's Banryuu, Jakotsu's Jakotsuto, and Suikotsu's claws, all of which dripped with blood.

"I hope you don't mind us staying here for the night," Bankotsu purred smoothly, smirking.

"Please... p-please, just leave us alone," the headman pleaded, doing his best to stand protectively in front of his wife and two daughters. "I beg of you... don't hurt us... please..."

The wife screamed when her husband's head was sent rolling across the floor. She shoved his limp body away, swiping at the blood that was splattered across her face. Kagome covered her eyes again.

"You two." Bankotsu motioned at the wife and one of her daughters with his Banryuu. "Make us dinner, and make it good. You." He looked to the last daughter. "Give us rooms for the night."

Kagome peeked through her fingers at the headless body on the floor, and gagged again.

Later that night, she found herself lying on the floor in a room with Bankotsu, staring blankly at a meal that she couldn't bring herself to eat.

"You'd better start eating," Bankotsu said, waving his chopsticks at her. "You might not get anything else for a while."

Kagome reluctantly sat up and began to eat, avoiding Bankotsu's midnight blue eyes. She knew he was smirking at her. She felt her skin crawl.

When she was finished- or couldn't force any more food into her bubbling stomach- she dropped her chopsticks and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms.

Then, suddenly, she felt warm breath brushing her lips and looked up... straight into Bankotsu's malicious, glinting eyes.

"You're such an impudent, sassy little wench," he snarled, lips twitching with that evil smirk. "I like it."

Kagome felt her heart stop. Her eyes darted around- there was no escape. Bankotsu's arms were in the way.

What would he do to her?

Then, Bankotsu stood and backed away from her, sneering down at her for a moment before he left the room. She took in a shaking breath, running a hand through her hair.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Early in the morning, Kouga was awakened by the smell of smoke. It wasn't near, but it wasn't far, and he knew immediately- the Band of Seven.

"Inuyasha!"

Amber eyes glared at him. "What the hell do you want?"

"Smoke and the Band of Seven. Do you smell it?"

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Yeah... That means..."

Minutes later, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara had been shaken awake. Kirara had transformed, and the six of them took off towards the smoky smell.

~/~/~/~/~/~/~/~

Alright, that felt good. Now REVIEW!


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